ARC Director Named First-Ever St. Mary’s Cross Country Coach
St. Mary's City, Md. - Thomas Fisher has been picked to guide St. Mary's College of Maryland's newest varsity athletic programs, men's and women's cross country, starting fall 2009. The announcement was made by St. Mary's director of athletics and recreation, Scott Devine, Friday morning.
The hiring of Fisher was the final step in readying the Seahawk harriers for their debut this fall.
Devine said, "I am pleased to announce Tom Fisher as the first head men's and women's cross country coach at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Coach Fisher has a strong background as a runner and triathlete and we look forward to him bringing that experience to our cross country program. Having Tom already on staff as the Athletic and Recreation Center Director will help with the start up issues and checklist items that come along with starting two new varsity teams. I know he is eager to take on this challenge and to begin the process of developing what we think can be a very strong program for Seahawk athletics."
Since November of 2007, the Wappingers Falls, N.Y. native has served as the director of the Athletics and Recreation Center (ARC), a role he will continue to perform while coaching the cross country runners.
Fisher stated, "I want to thank Scott Devine and the athletic and recreation department at St. Mary's College of Maryland for the opportunity to assume the head coaching responsibilities for the men's and women's cross country teams."
He is an avid triathlete, competing in several triathlons along the East Coast each year. Fisher ran in the 6th Annual Got the Nerve Triathlon in Mt. Gretna, Pa., on Saturday, May 23.
"My immediate concerns are communicating with prospective student-athletes currently enrolled at St. Mary's, identifying student-athletes from the incoming freshman class, and preparing for the upcoming Capital Athletic Conference season," continued Fisher.
A 1992 graduate of the State University of New York at Cortland, Fisher earned a bachelors of science in physical education with a minor in management. He then completed his masters in sports administration at Eastern Kentucky University in 1995, serving as a graduate assistant intramural sports coordinator and instructor.
The addition of men's and women's cross country will bring St. Mary's athletic offerings to 17 sports.
Affiliated with NCAA Division III, St. Mary's will become the ninth and final member institution of the Capital Athletic Conference to sponsor both men's and women's cross country. The Seahawks will join Gallaudet University, Hood College, the University of Mary Washington, Marymount (Va.) University, Salisbury University, Stevenson University, Wesley College, and York (Pa.) College.
